Chapter 5

Seeing those two words Hunter sent back, I froze for a long time before snapping out of it.

I quickly sent him the police station location and my brother's name.

There was no further reply.

I didn't know why this top-tier mogul would agree to help me with such a small favor.

But right now, I could only grasp at straws.

In less than half an hour, my mother called again.

"Miranda! Jason's fine! The other family suddenly backed down. Not only are they dropping the charges, they even proactively paid for medical expenses! Did you get Ethan to help? I knew it. At critical moments, you still have to rely on your brother-in-law!"

Hearing my mother's grateful tone on the phone, I only felt it was deeply ironic.

My husband was currently tumbling around in bed with another woman.

And the person who truly pulled me out of the mire was a stranger I'd only met once.

I suppressed the churning in my stomach and hung up on my mother.

Opening the chat, I sent Hunter two words. "Thank you, Mr. Shaw."

He replied instantly again, but only with a question: "Just thank you?"

I froze.

A billionaire venture capitalist. After doing me a small favor, would he really joke around with a married woman like me in the middle of the night?

I hesitated, then replied, "Can I take you to dinner?"

After a long pause, he finally answered with one cold word: "Fine."

I didn't know how to continue the conversation. Just as I was about to put down my phone, the screen suddenly lit up.

It was an unfamiliar text message with no saved contact.

No words. Just a video file.

The moment I opened the video, my breathing hitched and my face turned pale.

It was pinhole camera surveillance footage from a hotel room.

The quality was crystal clear.

In the video, Ethan was pressing Susan down hard on the sofa. That face that had always been refined and courteous toward me was now filled with lust and indulgence.

Susan wrapped her arms around his neck, responding coquettishly. "Ethan, if Miranda finds out, will she be angry?"

"Don't mention her and ruin the mood."

Ethan let out a cold laugh, his tone utterly callous. "Facing her every day, I only feel suffocated. If it weren't for the company shares, I would've divorced her long ago. Being with you is so much more relaxing..."

My head went blank. I could barely stay standing.

He'd acted so convincingly, all just to brazenly keep Susan by his side, to have an excuse to divorce me, even to take over the company we'd built together!

I'd fed the best five years of my youth to a dog.

I stared at the footage on my screen, waves of nausea surging up my throat.

I didn't cry.

In the silent night, I only felt my hands and feet turn terrifyingly cold.

I pressed the save button and forced down the discomfort in my heart to sleep.

No matter what, life had to go on.

...

The next morning, I put on a little makeup to hide my puffy eyes and dark circles.

I cooked his favorite dish and packed it in a thermos.

Today was the day Ethan was scheduled to return to the hospital for a follow-up brain CT.

I was going to the hospital.

I wanted to watch him in person as he continued this nauseating performance.

At the hospital, I headed straight for Lucas's vice president's office.

Pushing open the ajar door, I was about to enter when I heard Ethan's voice.

"All right, she's gone. You really put on a convincing performance with that amnesia act. Even Mr. Shaw was fooled?" Lucas's teasing voice came through.

I stopped in my tracks. Through the door crack, I saw Ethan sitting on the sofa, smoking.

He blew out a smoke ring, his lips curving into an arrogant arc. "If I didn't do this, how could I openly protect Susan and systematically strip Miranda of her power in the company?"

"Aren't you afraid Miranda will actually divorce you? You've been married five years." Lucas chuckled.

"Divorce? Would she dare?" Ethan scoffed dismissively. "Miranda is a blockhead who revolves her whole life around me. Being with her is like completing a task. I've been sick of it for ages. How could she compare to Susan, young, vibrant, understanding what I need?"

"Taking advantage of this amnesia, I'm getting some novelty. Once I've had my fun, I'll tell her I've recovered my memory. Won't she still come crawling back gratefully?"

I stood outside the door, the thermos in my hand burning like a hot iron.

I didn't burst in to tear off the mask.

I took out my phone and recorded their entire conversation, word for word.

Find me boring? Want some novelty?

Fine, Ethan.

Since you love playing the amnesia game, I'll play along with you. But bigger.